Innovative Seed Consortium Strengthening the Postrainy Sorghum Seed Systems in India

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) is grown both in rainy (Kharif) and postrainy (Rabi) seasons in India for multiple uses. Of the total sorghum area of 6.5 m ha, postrainy sorghum is grown on ~ 4 m ha area in the black soils under receding soil moisture, after the cessation of rains. The majority of postrainy sorghum production is concentrated across the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (Trivedi, 2008; Rana et al., 1999; Hosmani and Chittapur, 1997). Postrainy sorghum growing areas are characterized by low rain fall, low temperatures at flowering time and terminal drought and most of the times sorghum is the only crop option for meeting the food and fodder needs of communities in these areas (Murty et al., 2007; Pray and Nagarajan, 2009; Belum Reddy et. al., 2012; Kholova et al., 2013). Because of these constraints the productivity of postrainy sorghum is low (grain yield ~0.7 t ha‐1). However the grain and stover quality obtained from postrainy sorghum is preferred by the farmers and markets, therefore of higher value. Across postrainy sorghum ecologies, the landrace cultivars possessing white bold lustrous grains, with photoperiod sensitivity, cold tolerance, shoot fly resistance and terminal drought tolerance, like M 35‐1, Dagadi are popular with farmers. There are some improved varieties developed by Indian national program but they are not available to most farmers. The seed replacement ratio is very low (20%) (Fig 1). Further, the market opportunities for grain and fodder are limited restricting it to a subsistence production system. This paper deals with the current status of postrainy sorghum seed systems and innovative approaches to improve the quality seed availability to farmers